Magnetic sound-recording and reproducing machine



M y 1956 E. E. MASTERSON 2,743,878

MAGNETIC SOUND-RECORDING AND REPRODUCING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 29, 1948 AL NOR MAL INVENTOR EARL E. MASTERS an ATTORNEY MAGNETIC SOUND-RECORDING AND REPRODUCING MACHINE Original Filed June 29, 1948 May 1, 1956 E. E. MASTERSON 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 R O T N E v m EARL E.MAETERSDN ATTORNEY May 1, 1956 E. E. MASTERSON 2,743,878

MAGNETIC SOUND-RECORDING AND REPRODUCING MACHINE Original Filed June 29, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR EARL E. MASTERS 1m ATTORNEY MAGNETIC SOUND-RECORDING AND REPRODUCIN G MACHINE Earl E. Masterson, Palmyra, N. J., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Patented May 1, 1956 F ce and reproducing machine incorporating the record reeling system and certain other novel features of the present invention,

Fig. Z-isaview in perspective Fig. 1,

- Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line 33 of Fig.

of the pulley system of 1,-showihg the adjacent positions of thefmagnetic tape- Original application June29, 1948, Serial No. 35,892,

now Patent No. 2,658,398, dated November 10, 1953. Divided and this application April 1, 1952, Serial No.

6 Claims. (Cl. 242-55) The subject matter of this'invention is a division of copending application SerialNo. 35,892, filed June 29, 1948, now Patent No. 2,658,398, entitled Magnetic Sound-Recording and Reproducing Machine.

This invention relates to magnetic sound-recording and reproducing systems and has special reference to the provision of an improved constant tension power drive system for flexible magnetic-records.

The necessity of maintaining a reelable magnetic record under constant tension and speed during recording and reproducing intervals has long been known and many ingenious power drive systems have been proposed for that purpose. Such drive systems are exemplified (a) by the plural-motor system of Hutchison, 1,718,355 (b) by the plural-clutch system of Camras, 2,372,810 and (c) by the spring-biased reels ofScherbatskoy copending application Ser. No. 584,427, filed March 23, 1945, now Patent No. 2,477,146. Irrespective of the advantages claimed for the drives of each class, it may be said, generally,'that those requiring duplicate parts are expensive and, furthermore, are objectionable when, in changing reels, the record must be wrapped in a tortuous path about several drums or pulleys. While spring-biased reeling systems are not necessarily subject to the foregoing disadvantages there is, nevertheless, a practical limit upon the size of spring tensioned reels, and hence in the length of the records which may be wound thereon.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to obviate the foregoing and other disadvantages of present day reeling systems and, more specifically, to.

provide a clutch-less, single motor, constant-tension drive system having the minimum number of guide rollers required to move a flexible web of any desired length from one reel to another.

A related broad object is to provide a simple, inexpen sive and trouble-free method of winding a web of material from one reel to another, and one which in its practice operates to maintain the web under constant tension substantially irrespective of the speed of the web and its direction of travel.

Another and important object of the invention is to provide a power driven reeling system which shall lend itself to plural sound-track operation and to high-speed winding in either direction, and to proper control of the reels during starting and stopping at both normal and high speeds.

Another object is to provide a very compact, adjustablespeed, shaft-driven, flywheel-assembly wherein means are provided for compensating for minor eccentricities in the balance, and minor irregularities in the shaft propelled surface of the flywheel.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved magnetic sound recording and reproducing machine wherein itshall be substantially impossible for the operator accidentally or unwittingly to erase a previously made recording;

In the accompanying three sheets of drawings: Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a magnetic recording record and the driving belt,

, Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the machine of Fig. 1, with the reels pulled back to facilitate the changing'of a record, Fig. 5 isa fragmentary plan view of a cam mechanism employed in retracting the sound heads of the machine when the reels are pulled back,

Fig. 6 is a front elevation, partly in section and Fig. 7 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the machine and, Figs. 8, 9' and 10 are sectional views taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4, showingithe switch interlock mechanism in different operating positions.

. In the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate the same parts in all figures, 1 designates a prefr erably horizontally disposed motor board or mounting panel through which the symmetrically disposed spindles.

of a triangular system of pulleys 2, 3 and 4 project.- The pulley 2, at the apex of the (equilateral or isosceles) triangle defined by the axes of revolution of the said pulleys, isthe driving pulley or capstan of the system and is arranged to be driven, in a manner later described, by a constant speed reversible electric motor M (see Fig.7) disposed on the opposite side of the panel 1. The other two pulleys are idler speed pulleys of duplicate stepped construction; the lower steps 3a and 4a being of a diameter slightly less than that of the capstan2 and the upper steps 31: and 4b being of a diameter less than the common diameter, ofthe said lower steps. By way of example; in one practical embodiment of the invention wherein the diameter of the capstan was one inch and three-quarters (1.75) and the spacing between the cap-' stan 2 andthe idler speed-pulleys 3 and 4' was of the order of ten inches (10") and the spacing between the saididler pulleys was about eleven and three-quarters inches (11.75"), the diameter of the lower steps 3a and 4a of the speed pulleys was approximately one and onequarter inches (1.25") and the diameter of their upperf steps 3b, 4b was approximately one inch.

A rubber or similar elastic band 5 is connected between the capstan "2 and the lower steps 3a and 4a of the idler speed-pulleys 3 and 4 and a flexible belt 6 (which is not necessarily elastic) is connected between the,

capstan 2 and smaller upper steps 3b and 4b of the said idler pulleys. As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the paths of both belts 5 and 6 may lead between the tines of a number of forked stationary guides 7 which limit undesired lateral and vertical movement of the said belts or It will be observed upon inspection of Figs. 1 and 4 of the triangle, beneath the lower elastic band 5. Each of the slots 8 and 9 accommodates a movable spindle,- 10 and 11, respectively, of a reel 12, and 13, respectively, for a paper (or plastic) flexible magnetic record 14.

p The reel spindles 10 and 11 are carried, respectively, on the outer ends of a pair of lever arms 15 and 16 whose'fulcrum is the axis 2a of the capstan 2. The lower end of each spindle rests upon a carriage 17, 17' respectively, having a pair of wheels 18, 18 which ride on stationary plate-like tracks 19, 19' suspended from the lower surface of the panel 1. A pair of spring latches 20, 20 (Fig.6), at the lower end of each of the tracks 19, 19' operate to engage and to hold the periphery of 3 flR'WVhQGlS i8, !8'--when the-reels 12 and 13 are pulled iorwflrd .(a .shown .in Fig. .4.) .for the. purpose vof ..replacing a record.

The lever arms and 16, and hence the spindles 10 and i1 and rthereels l12;and:113 :thereon, .are normally biased imthe: direction-of-Ihe elastic belt 5 .as-by means of .a coil spring 21 (Fig. 6) which is wrapped about the'axis of the capstan .2 and "has its .opposite ends connected, -respectively, to the said lever arms. Thus, the rolled portions i14a-14b of:.the tape :14 on.each reel are normally urged into frictional power-takeoff relation with respect to the lower, elastic band 5. The path of the tape 14 between athe steels :12 :and i3 =lies.contiguous to the path of .the :elastic :band ,5 16sec Big. 3-) .around the capstan 2 and .extendszfrorn the .capstan .along the .arcuate. lines whereat the. said head touches the .outer layer cfthe tape on each reel. In its journey between the reels the tape runs across the pole pieces .of a number -(in this case, three) ofmagnetic-applicators, 22,23, and 24 which are .arrangedaahoututhe periphery of the .capstan 2 .on the stutside of the triangle .deftued bythe pulley system.

The described triangularzarrangement.of the pulleys 2, 3 land 4, .andbf the belts 5 and ,6 .is .entirely symmetrical. Hence the drive system ,of the present invention lends itself :readily to so-called double-track operation, in which one sound trackis recorded while the .tape is running in .one direction and a second sound traclois recorded in ,theoppositc direction. As will hereinafter'more fully appear ,the arrangement and operation .of the magnetic applicators 22, 23 and 24 is such that the one (23) in thecenter serves-as the erasing head for both the upper and lower sound tracks, and the other two serve, respectively, as both recording and "reproducing heads for individual ones of .said sound tracks. In this later connection it .will be observed (see Fig. 6) that the head 24 forthe upper.sound track extends across the tape, while theihead 22 extends .only across that portion of the tape which contains the lower sound track.

In handling tape, a slight 'holdback action is required on the feeding reel to prevent the building up of loop and a slight overdrive is necessary on the take-up reel to assure that .all the tape will be wound-up to the desired degree of tightness. The manner in which the drive system of the present invention operates to provide the required holdback and overdrive for the reels will be the more readily apparent upon consideration of the following analysis of the basic system, shown in Fig. 2. Here if the capstan pulley 2 is driven in the indicated .(clockwise) direction, and the speed pulleys 3 and 4 are free to rotate, it will be seen that certain sections of the lower (rubber) .band or belt 5 will be stretched, while other sections will be relaxed. The upper belt 6, which is not necessarily elastic, will have a tendency to drive the pulleys 3 and 4 at a higher speed than if only the lower belt were driving. Since the belts 5 and 6 pass around the different steps 3a, 4a, 3b, 4b, of the speed pulleys 3 and 4 at the same, time, the elastic belt 5 will .be stretched during its journey between 2 and 3 and relaxed in its journey between 4 and 2. This stretching and relasting is exactly what it needed to provide the overdrive and holdback action on the reels. Under these conditions, when the rubber belt 5 is being stretched, its linear velocity is increased. This. increase inlinear velocity. of, the belt 5 must be accounted for somewhere, and this takes place when the said belt is between 4 and 2. Where relaxed, the linear velocity of the belt 5 is lower than normal. Referring now to Fig. 1: If the direction of travel of the tape 14 is from the right reel 13 to the left reel 12 it can be seen that the stretching action ofthe lower (elastic) belt 5 between the capstan 2 and the. speed pulley 3 provide the necessary-overdriveto wind the tape, on the take-up reel 12. The relaxing ,of the. said belt 5 between 4 and. 2 provides the holdback action'on the other orTfeedingFreel 13. When thghdirection of movement of the capstan 2 is reversed.

either for the purpose of playing the other sound track or for re-reeling the record, the -belt 5 stretches in 'running between the pulley 4 and the capstan 2 and relaxes in its journey between the capstan 2 and the pulley 3. Thus, the drive system operates to maintain the tape under constant tension irrespective of-the direction and speed in which it is-driven betweenareels.

The sound heads As previously mentionedpwhere, as in the instant-case, three magnetic applicators are employed for double sound track-operation the central applicator .23 may comprise the erasing head .forboth the upper :and the lower tracks .and, as "will hereinafter more .fully appear, must be capable of being shifted upwardly and downwardly from one track to the other. The other magnetic applicators 22 and 24 each servcbut a single sound-track and hence need not be mounted to permit of vertical movement. However, his desirable that all three heads bernouuted in such a way'as'to permit them to bemoved away from the capstan 2 when (a) the reels 'are pulled back to facilitate the removal and replacement of the tape and ('b) during the fast rewinding movement and during the fast forward movement of the tape, -so that playing or recording or erasing cannot occur when the reels are in their normal position and the tape is subjected to either of said fast-forward or fast rc-winding movements. The manner in which all three of .the magnetic applicators are moved, simultaneously, away from the capstan 2 when'the reels are pulled back will first be'described.

It will be observed upon inspection of Figs. l and 4 that there is a 'shape plate 25 in front of the capstan 2 and that this plate is supported on the panel 1 for slideable movement toward and away from the capstan, by means of two pins 26 and 27 which extend through elongated slots '28 and 29, respectively, on the central vertical axis of the Y. The playing and recording heads 22 and '24 for the upper and lower sound tracks on the tape 14 are secured to this horizontally slidable plate 25 on opposite sides of the upper pin 27. The erasing head 23 is fixed on the upper end of this pin 27. The shank of the pin 27 extends through a suitably elongated slot in the panel 1 beneath the slot 29 and, as shown in Fig. 7, isafiix'ed at its lower end to a support 30-which is mounted to permit of both horizontal and vertical (up and down) movements on a platform 31. As shown more clearly in Fig. 5, the lever arms 15 and 16 (upon which the spindles 10 and '11 .of-the reels are mounted) are pivoted about the axis 2a of the capstan 2 and terminate in scissor-like cam surfaces 15a, 16:! whose blades" lie on opposite sides oftthe pin 27 upon which the erasing head 23 is fixed. Hence, when the reels are pulled baclgas shown in Fig. 4, the scissor-like cam surfaces 15a16a close and :push the pin 27 and hence the erasing head 23 away from .the capstan. In moving away from the capstan the pin. 27 encounters .the end of the slot 29 in the slidable Y-shape plate 25- upon which the recording-reproducing heads 22 and 24 are mounted and pushes the said plate and the'said sound heads :in :the same direction, away from the capstan, so that there is ample room between the capstan 2. andv the three sound heads 22, 23 and 24 to permit the tape 14 to be placed therebetween. When the reels are pushed back to their normal position the sound. heads 22 and 24 return to their normal position, in contact with the tape .on the capstan, by the force applied to the slidable plate 25 by a bowed biasing spring 32. Another spring 27s (see'Fig. 7) operates to return the pin 27, and hence the erasing head 23 thereon, to its normal position in contact with the tape on the capstan.

As aboverindicated, the normal (playing and recording) position of each of the magnetic applicators 22, '23 and '24'is' in actual physical contact with the tape. Thus, in order to establish and maintain this relation it is important that the three applicators or sound heads be self-centering. This is achieved-in the case of the playing-recording heads 22 and 24 by making the pin 27 of a diameter appreciably smaller than that of the slot 29 in which it is received, so that the Y-shape plate upon which the said heads are mounted may pivot at least slightly about theother pin 26. The erasing head 23, on the other hand, is made self-centering by mounting the support 30 for the pin 27 with a loose fit upon a stud 30a so that the assembly 30, 27 upon which the head 23 is mounted may. shift or give in any direction required to, establish perfect contact between the head 23 and the tape.

The vertical movement of the pin 27, and its support 30, which is required to shift the erasing head 23 from the lower to the upper soundtrack on the tape 14 is provided by a lever 33 (Fig. 7). One arm of this lever extends over the surface of the platform 31 to a point beneath the support 30 and the other or vertical arm has a stiffactuating rod 34 connected thereto. As shown more clearly in Fig. 4, this rod 34 is connected at its other end to a lever 35 which is biased by a spring 359 into engagement with a cam 36 on a switch-control shaft 37 at the rear of the panel 1. When the knob 37a on the shaft 37 is turned to position Normal 2 (Fig. 1)

thecam 36 causes the lever 35 to pivot on its fulcrum 35a and to pull back the actuating rod 34 and the vertical arm of the lever 33 to which the said rod is connected. This causes the free end of the horizontal arm of the said lever, 33, to tilt upwardly and lifts the pin 27 to a position whereat the erasing head 23 is adjacent to the portion of the magnetic tape 14 that is allotted to the upper sound track.

The motor drive As shown more clearly in Fig. 7 the rotatable shaft 2s upon which the driving pulley or capstan 2 is mounted has a rubber-tired flywheel 40 secured to its lower end as by means of a set screw 40s. It will be observed that this flywheel has a substantially flat upper surface 40a and is provided with a downwardly inclined peripheral flange or shoulder 40b. The flywheel 40 (and hence the capstan 2 thereon) is driven in either direction at is normal speed (of, say 78.2 R. P. M.) by the force applied to its flat upper surface 40a through the conical end portion 41a, of the shaft 41 on the motor M, and may be driven in either direction at a high speed (of say 500-600 R. P. M.) by moving the motor M forwardly and tilting it.to bring a beveled wheel 41!) of larger diameter into driving engagement with the downwardly inclined flange 40b on the periphery of the flywheel.

It has been found that minor inaccuracies in the flat upper surface 40a 'of the flywheel and minor eccentricities in its rotation are of no moment when, (a) the axis of the driving shaft 41 is in register with a point on the (vertical) common axis 2a of the capstan 2 and flywheel 40, and (b) the taper of the conical end portion 41a of the said shaft is uniform as measured along the shaft axis with respect to said point. It may be pointed out that this compensation is not achieved in a conventional rim drive wherein the axis of the driving shaft is parallel to the axis of the driven shaft.

The forward movement and the, tilt of the motor M required to bring the beveled wheel 41b on the shaft 41 into register with the complementary beveled rim 40b on the flywheel 40 is made possible by mounting the motor on pivots 42p (Fig. 7) upon an inverted U-shape carriage 42 on the underside of the motor board or panel 1. As shown in Fig. 4 the base of this U-shape carriage 42.is provided with a number (in this case, three) of elongatedslots 42s and is mounted for movement toward and away from the capstan 2 by supporting studs 42r which extend through the said slots. Two coil springs 43, 43' each secured at one end to one side of the slidable motor carriage 42 and anchored at their other ends to the immovable plates 19, 19' normally bias the motor to a position whereat the small outer end of the conical portion 41a of the motor shaft 41 is in contact with the flat upper surface 40a of the flywheel 40. The motorcarriage 42 may be moved forward, against the force of its biasing springs 43, to bring the shaft wheel 41b into high-speed driving relation with respect to the flywheel 40, by'turning the knob 37a on the control shaft 37 to either of its Fast positions. As shown in Fig. 4 the coupling between the control shaft 37 and the motorcarriage 42 comprises the cam 36 which is urged into engagement with a stationary arm 42a on the said carriage when the knob 37a is turned.

Referring still to Fig. 4, it will be observed that there is a stiff wire or rod-like element 45 which is secured at one end to the motor carriage 42 and terminates at its opposite end in an open loop 45a which partly surrounds the shaft 2s upon which the capstan 2 is mounted. The leading end" of this loop 450 thus extends across the path of movement of the pin 27 upon which the erasing head 23 is mounted. Hence, when the knob 37a is turned to either of its Fast positions (as is required to move the carriage 42 forward) the said loop 45a is brought into contact with the pin 27 and moves the erasing head 23 and the Y-shape plate 25, upon which the sound heads 22 and 24 are mounted, away from the path of the magnetic tape 14 so' that no magnetic-coupling exists between the tape and any of the sound heads during the fast forward or rewind movements of the tape.

Reference has heretofore been made to the fact that the free-end portion 41a of the shaft 41 of the movably mounted reversible motor M is of conical shape. This permits minor adjustments in the speed of the flywheel 40 (and hence of the capstan and tape 14-) such as may he required to synchronize the sound on the tape with a motion-picture film, not shown. This adjustment may be made from the top of the panel 1 by turning a knob or kerf on the end of. ashaft 46 which carries a cam 47 (Fig. 4). on its lower end. This earn 47 is positioned at the rear of the carriage 42 on which the motor is mounted and serves as an adjustable backstop therefor. Thus, when the shaft. 46 is turned, the eccentric portion of the cam iscaused to bear against the rear end of the carriage 42 and to urge it forwardly, against the force of the biasing springs 43, the small distance required to move the conical portion 41a of the motor shaft inwardly with respect'to the axis of the flywheel 40. Here, obviously, the exact speed of the flywheel, and hence of the tape, will depend upon the diameter of the particular part of the cone 41a which is in contact with the flywheel.

The'c'oritrols and the interlock therefor It will be observed upon inspection of Fig. 1 that there is an arrayof four control knobs and a centrally disposed Reset button or plunger 50 on the panel 1. It would needlessly burden this specification to describe the functhe speed of rotation of the capstan Z (by moving the motor-carriage 42, and hence the position and driving ratio of the motor shaft 41) also controls the actuation of an electrical switch 48 (Fig. 7) containing contacts (not shown) which operate to control the energization and the direction of rotation of the reversible motor M. Thus, when the said knob 37a is turned to the left to its Normal 1 position, the switch arm is turned to the contact required to drive the motor in a direction to wind the tape off the reel 12 onto the reel 13 and, when turned to the right to the Normal 2 position, a contact is energized which reverses the direction of rotation of the motor and hence drives the capstan 2 in the direction required to wind the tape 14 off the reel 13 onto the reel 12. A similar switch (not shown) under the control of the shaft 49 to which the knob 49a is attached will be understood to control the energization of the particular" 6 ones ofcthe magnetic applicators 22, 23., 24 required to *Play, or to Record upon, either one ofthe two soundtracks on the tape 14.

Aswillhereinafter more fully'appear in connection with the description of Figs. 8, 9, '10 and 4, the controlshafts 37 and 49 are connected by an interlock which operates under the control of the Reset plunger 5010 :(a) prevent the motor from being turned on in theevent-that the knob 49a inadvertently has :been left in its Record position, (b) to prevent the switch knob 49:: from being turned, inadvertently, to its Record position when the motor is running and (c) to prevent the knob 3% from being turned to either of its Fast positions when the knob 49a is in its Record position. it is thus impossible, inadvertently to erase a previous recording or to make a recording whilst the tape is being rewound rapidly upon either reel.

The interlock mechanism for the control shafts .37 and 49 consists of (a) a circular cam 51 fixed on the shaft 37, (b) a latch bar 52 which extends between the said shafts 37 and 4-9, an L-shape latch 53 fixed .on the upper surface of the bar 52 (d) and arm 54 .(see Fig. 4) fixed on the shaft 49 for moving the latch bar in a horizontal plane, and e) the plunger 50 which operates to tilt the said bar.

As shown more clearly in lFig. 4 the circular cam. 51 on the shaft 37 has an arcuate slot 51:: therein which communicates with the periphery of the said cam through a radially extending throat 51b. The cam '51 is so fixed on theshaft 37 that its throat 51b is in line with the :L- shape latch 53 only when the said shaft 37 is in its Oif" position-and the arcuate slot 51a in the said cam is dimensioned to receive the upstanding arm of the L-shape latch 53 when it is entered therein through the throat 51b of the slot. Asshown in Figs. 8, 9 and .the latch bar 52 rests at one end upon the top surface of the arm 54 which, in turn, rests upon a collar 55 which is fixed on the shaft 49 and, at its opposite end, upon a vertically movable collar 56 on the shaft 37. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the latch bar 52 is normally biased to its horizontal position by a coil spring 57 which is wrapped about the shaft 37 beneath the collar 56, but may :be tilted downwardly against the force of said spring when the Reset plunger 50 is held down as shown in Fig. 10.

Operation of the interlock When the knob 37a on the shaft 37 is in its Off posi tion and the knob 49a on the shaft 49 is in its Play position the interlock is in the condition shown in Fig. 8; that is to say, the L-shape latch 53 is out of engagement with the cam 51. Hence the motor maybe turned on by turning the knob 37a to its Normal 1," or to its Normal 2 position (as determined by the particular sound track the operator elects to play) or, the said knob may be turned (in either direction) past the said Normal speed positions to either of the Fast speed positions to wind or to re-wind the tape upon a particular reel. (As previously described, when the knob 37a is turned to a Fast position the sound heads 22, 23 and 24 are moved, automatically, away from the capstan 2 to break the magnetic coupling between the tape and the soundheads.)

in the event that the operator wishes to erase a previous recording upon the tape and to make a new recording thereon he must first turn-off the motor, by turning the knob 37a to Off, since, if an efiort is made to turn the knob 49a to its Record position while the motor is running, the latch 53 would be urged against the uncut peripheral portion of the cam 51 and prevent the latch bar 52, and hence the arm 54 and the shaft 49, from turning. When the motor is turned .Off" the throat 51b of the slot in the cam 51 is in register with the .L- shape latch 53, hence the knob 49a on shaft 49 may be turned to its Record position. However, merely turning shaft 49 to Record does not allow the motor shaft 37 to be turned -on" since,.as shown in Fig. 9, the horizontal arm .of the 'L-shape latch is now in the throat 51b of the cam 51-011 the -shaft37 and hence prevents the said shaft 37 from turning. However, when the Reset plunger 50 is pushed down, ;as shown in Fig. '10, the horizontal arm of the L-shape latch-53 is moved downwardly out of the throat 51b of the cam 51, hence the shaft 37 which controls the operation of .the motor may be turned to either -of its Normal positions but is prevented from being turned through a larger arc to either of its Fast positions by the upstanding arm of the L which remains within the arcuate slot 51a. Thus, a deliberate two handed operation is required before a previously-made recording can be erased and, in no event, can a recording either be made or played Whilst the record is being run at other than its normal speed.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides an improved two-direction, two-speed, self-compensating, fool-proof, reelingsystem for magnetic sound-recording and reproducing machines.

What is claimed is:

1. A power drive system comprising: a driving pulley, a plurality of spaced-apart idler speed-pulleys of substantially duplicate rim diameters, an endless belt conmeeting said driving pulley with rims of corresponding diameter on said speed-pulleys, an endless elastic band connecting said driving pulley with rims of another diameter on said speedpulleys, and driven means connected in power take-off relation with respect to said elastic band along at least a portion of the path thereof.

2. The invention asset forth in claim 1 and wherein the speed-pulley rims to which said elastic band is connected are of a greater diameter than the speed-pulley rims to which said belt is connected.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 2 and wherein the diameter of said driving pulley is greater than the diameter of the speed-pulley rims to which said elastic band is connected.

4. The invention ,as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the axes of revolution of said driving and speed-pulleys define the three points of a triangle, and the portion thereof at which said driven means and said elastic band are connected lies between said driving pulley and individual ones of said speed-pulleys.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 1 and wherein said driving means comprises a web of reelable material wound to run between a storage reel and a take-up reel, the points of contact of said web with said elastic :band being on the outer layer of the material on each reel.

6. The invention as set forth in claim 5 and wherein said reels are mounted on separately movable shafts to permit of independent rotation, and wherein means are provided for biasing said movable shafts toward the path of .said elastic band, whereby the material on said reels is urged into driven relation with respect to said elastic band substantially irrespective of the quantity of-said material .on each reel at any given moment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,848,663 Robinson Mar. ,8, 1932 1,911,338 Anderson et al May 30, 1933 2,297,242 Pohlmann Sept. 29, 1942 2,335,277 Heller Nov. 30, 1943 2,422,143 Somers et al June 10, 1947 2,509,500 Howey May 30, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 36,634 Norway ;.Jan. 22, 1923 270,050 Great Britain May 5, 1927 313,672 Great Britain lune-20, 1929 706,197 France Mar. 24,1931 907,783 France July 23, 1945 

